EliteCommander

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Although Peiter had hoped for something positive to happen, he had not quite expected that reaction. He was surprised at first, and went into the kiss awkwardly, but he too wrapped his arms around her once he had gained his bearings. He could hardy keep track of how long it lasted, but no matter how long it was, it was not long enough. Eventually, he pulled his head back and spoke with considerably less apprehension.

"I think I'm still confused, honestly. But...I don't mind so much. Not now. Just...what do we do now? I guess we're together, now." He said, reaching up and running his hand through her hair as he spoke.

Colors smiled at the pair. "Well then, I know the perfect place. Come on, let's head into the market." He walked between them and put his hands on both of their shoulders as he started to lead them towards the city gates. "How much you spend depends on what you want. Most things with moon sugar are naturally going to be more expensive, but there are still some cheaper options. Cheap wine with the sugar will still give you the euphoria, but if I'm going to get myself a treat, I personally like to go all-out."

Looking around for a moment, Colors pulled them both closer and started to speak more quietly. "Of course, if you're really wanting something good, and are willing to put down the coin, you could always go for a bottle of skooma."

"I've heard of it before, of course, but...what is skooma, really?" Kaleeth asked. During her entire life with her village, she had never so much as heard of the potent drug, and she had not had any real encounters with it over the past three years. As such, she had much less perspective on its effects than most.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter too had a hard time looking directly at Sabine. Even though what she was saying should have been encouraging, it just caused him to be more confused. Her actions the previous day, and how quickly she seemed to shift her entire demeanor, made it hard to guess what she actually felt. "I'm confused too, Sabine. Really, really confused. Everything over the past few days, or weeks, really, all seemed to be suggesting something more. We spent so much time together, and the way we were both acting...even Tzirret saw what was going on with us. Yesterday, you offered me a kiss, and I was so sure of how you must feel. Then...it hurt, Sabine. It really hurt."

Taking in a deep breath, Peiter took a step forward and finally made eye contact. "I want to spend time with you too, Sabine. I want to continue our lessons, and do everything we have been. But, I think there is something more. This is all new to me, so I don't really know, but I want to try. Just be together for a while, and see how much we really do like each other."

Colors stopped and turned back once he heard his name. "Huh? Oh, no, we drank all of that right away, since S'ajira found that other bottle. Honestly, I would've already bought more myself if I had any coin. Say...you weren't thinking of buying any, were you? If you are, I could come with you can help you pick out the best choices. I do know the local brews, after all."

Kaleeth looked to Janius questioningly, though she did not actually say a word. She did have some coin that had been allotted to her and could buy it on her own if she wished, but she still wanted to know if Janius was coming along.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Peiter had honestly not expected Sabine to say anything, so he was surprised when he heard her voice behind him. With how she had been acting towards him, he figured that if anything was going to be said, he would have to say it. Regardless, he turned around and looked to her, his expression uncertain. "You do? I mean...I think I do, too. It's just...I'll let you go first."

Kaleeth nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, it was really good, actually. Very good. The sweetness was almost too much for me, but the moon sugar made it just...euphoric. If we don't have any wine, maybe we could go buy some? Or just something with moon sugar, I really don't mind. I think it would be nice to have for later, during the voyage. You remember how dull ships can be, I'm sure, and it doesn't look like we'll be able to have, um, privacy for this one. I guess I wouldn't mind having some right now as well, now that I think about it. Let's go talk to Colors." She suggested, with unusual eagerness.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

While the lower deck did lack privacy, they at least had plenty of space between them all. They were not crowded up with their supplies, and Leaps even had a somewhat reasonable area to wander around. Regardless, most of the group was still intent on taking advantage of their time on land while they could. The crew would likely not appreciate it if they were all to crowd the deck at once, so when out at sea, they would be below deck most of the time.

Peiter had been similarly as silent as Sabine during the entire walk to Senchal, and for similar reasons. He was at a loss for what to do or think, and he had considerable fear of making it worse. Most everyone was heading back up top for their last chance to be on dry land for a few days, so he decided to follow along. He moved slowly and unenthusiastically, so he was the last to start heading towards the stairs. For a moment, he glanced over and ended up locking eyes with Sabine by accident. He froze, with uncertainty hitting his mind. Briefly, it seemed like he might say something, but after a few seconds, he let out a sigh and started to walk towards the stairs.

Above deck, Kaleeth stepped off the boat along with Janius and looked around the dock aimlessly. Newt was insistent that he wanted to play with Rhazii, so he was with Ahnasha and Fendros. She made sure not to look back towards the ship as she spoke. "They almost look like pirates, don't you think? A lot of weapons on that ship. I'm...sure we'll be fine, though. They don't know what we are, or they wouldn't let us on board. Anyway...do you know if we have any of that moon sugar wine left?"

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"And I love you, Sabine." Meesei responded, returning her hug just as tightly. They each returned to their own tasks after a few minutes, with Meesei returning to the center of camp to aid Irenya in treating the pride, or at least attempt to do so while balancing that task with looking after Newt and Rhazii.

By the late evening, the pride felt up to the task of going on a hunt. Gallus, Ahnasha, and Fendros had returned from the city with news of their travel plans. They had managed to find a captain who was willing to take them straight to their destination, with no questions asked. It would take a considerable amount of their gold for the number of people she was agreeing to transport, but they would at least be safe from being tracked. They would be leaving the next evening, and since they now had definite plans, they had all the more reason to get their hunting out of the way as soon as possible. As planned, they split into groups depending on where they intended to hunt. The pride stuck together for the most part, except for Do'ajee and La'khay, who were sent with each of the two other groups to help guide them in the area. To keep their numbers even, Peiter and Lorag joined the pride in their hunt. Kaleeth was directed to the nearest river for her to hunt alone, as she was best as a solitary hunter. Since Meesei had no need to hunt, she was the one to stay behind to look after the children, along with Leaps.

By midnight, everyone had returned from their hunts, though they were quick to get to sleep. Kaleeth was the last, as she came in early the next morning, dragging the half-eaten carcass of a dreugh behind her. Evidently, she had found several of the creatures and had decided to curl up and have some rest before eating them all. The meat would not last too much longer after having been left in the jungle for so long, so the group split it up for their breakfast.

The group left shortly after breakfast in order to make it to Senchal by the time they were scheduled to leave. The pride was able to move much more quickly than before, and with their knowledge of the area, they were able to navigate back to Senchal with good speed. They were on-guard for any servants of Vile that might be in the city, though it would be difficult for either group to find one another in such a crowded place. Even so, they made their way directly to the docks as soon as they arrived. Ahnasha and Fendros led them through the crowd to the correct ship. It was a older, slightly worn vessel, and was a bit larger than the one they had sailed in on. Notably, both the vessel itself, and every member of the crew they could see, were armed. It had ballistas set up on the deck which were currently unstrung, but had their ammunition close at hand. As they waited nearby the vessel for Ahnasha to find the captain, some of the crew gave the crew suspicious looks, and made sure that the cutlasses on their belts were plainly visible.

After a few minutes, Ahnasha returned with the captain of the ship, who met them by the loading ramp. She was a scruffy-looking Khajiit woman in rough leather clothes, stained and ripped from heavy use. "So, this is ya' group, right? It's the right number, so ya' not tryin' to cheat this one. Good, good. We leave in three hours. The entire bottom deck's yours; don't bother this one's crew, and we won't bother you, got it? You can board as soon as I've got my fee."

Meesei had already counted out the correct amount into a separate bag before they arrived, so she stepped forward and presented it to the captain. She glanced inside briefly, then nodded in response. "Alright, this one's headin' off to her cabin. You have any problems, go bother someone else." She said before stepping back onto the ship.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

I'll just bring us to the point where we're boarding the ship. Sticking them together in a confined space would expedite their confrontation.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

This seems like a point at which to end the conversations. If so, is there a point at which you'd like to skip to?

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

"With any attachment, there is risk. Whether it be friends, family, or something more. As much as I hate to say it, that kind of pain and loss is something that we risk with our service to Hircine." Meesei said with a somber voice. "But, it is my opinion that one should not allow the fear of death to rule their life. I fear for your safety more than I can describe. I know well the danger we face, and while I am prepared to take the risk for myself, there is no part of me that wants to force you into that kind of danger. In preparing for this mission, I wanted to leave you with the safety of the clan, but I could not let fear make that choice. As I said, I could not blame you if you feel the risk would be too great, but that said, I believe you would be happier if you made the choice based on what would give you the most joy, not the most fear."

Meesei straightened up in her posture before continuing in a serious tone. "Now, with that said, that does not mean I am saying you should be with him. I am only saying that your decision should not come out of fear. There are other considerations you need to make. Would you be happy with him, and would you be able to handle being apart? Remember that Peiter is not a member of our pack, and it may come to pass that our packs will separate for an extended time. It is something that you should think about before making your decision, but no matter what you decide, I would say that Peiter deserves more than being 'brushed off,' as you said. Make sure he understands what you are deciding, and why you are deciding it."

Peiter sighed; he could not believe that he was actually going to talk about this with a drunk Khajiit. "Look...her exact words wouldn't make sense without me going through the whole conversation, but...suffice to say it wasn't a yes. It was strange, I was so sure of what she wanted. The way she was acting just...screamed it. I mean, she offered to kiss me for the Divines' sake! Nothing about this whole thing makes any sense. It's like it was all just some big joke. It's like she was...confused or something."

Peiter closed his eyes and shook his head. "Or maybe that was just me."

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Both of those that I've taken so far seem to have been fine. I have another on wednesday, and one more Friday. Neither of those are at 8AM, fortunately.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

Meesei let out a sigh and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. She reached out and placed her hand on her shoulder with a compassionate expression. "I cannot tell you who you should and should not like, nor what you should do about it. Ultimately, all of those decisions will lie with you, and you alone. I cannot give you the answers, but I might be able to help you ask the right questions. You are worried about the pain of loss, which is definitely understandable. It is something I feel as well, for all of those in my pack. If you believe that being with him would give you more pain than joy, then I could not fault that decision. However, you need to be sure that it is actually true, before deciding based on it. Imagine, for a moment, that you decided to be with Peiter. If he were captured and you saw him go through that kind of suffering, then how much worse would it be than if the same thing happened to another one of us? Imagine if you saw Tzirret undergo that torture, or myself. Would Peiter's pain be worse for you, or would they all cause about the same distress?"

Peiter lowered his head, burying his face in his hands. "I really was that obvious, wasn't I?" He commented with a sigh. Looking back up at Tzirret, he took in a deep breath to collect himself.

"Look...Tzirret. Just...it's complicated, okay? I'm going to be perfectly fine, trust me. I appreciate your concern, really, but you don't need to worry about me. I'm sure the pride needs more cheering up than me." He argued. He hoped he was more convincing this time, as he had underestimated how perceptive Tzirret would be while intoxicated.